Chapter 201: An Unwelcome Guest
Amanda's Recruitment
As Joel Nash grew firmer, the people in the room had to soften. Since few men enjoy feeling weak, the meeting quickly ended in a dull atmosphere.
Everyone understood the President's goal: to use the alien incident to cultivate a power base loyal only to him. Their displeasure stemmed from Amanda Waller.
That woman was notoriously difficult, and she would undoubtedly use this opportunity to seize authority from various departments to build her own influence.
In fact, Amanda did exactly that.
Immediately after the meeting concluded, the FBI, CIA, and Department of Defense received a personnel manifest. The individuals listed were requested to contribute to the nation—in other words, to join the newly formed A.R.G.U.S.
Every person on that list was a top-tier talent.
Talent is hard to find, a truth everyone understood. But faced with deployment orders personally signed by the President, the heads of the various departments could only grimly comply and send their people away.
Amanda assembled her Special Operations Team in just one day, then boarded an Air Force jet bound for the West Coast.
The Interrogation
At two o'clock that afternoon, two black Hummers pulled up outside a secluded bar in Coast City.
Amanda, dressed in a black pantsuit, stepped out of the car. She instructed her team to wait outside and entered the bar alone.
The bar was sparsely populated, with only the female bartender and a customer flirting with her.
Amanda walked up to the bar, ordered a glass of plain water, and said gravely,
"Why meet in a place like this?"
Luke took a sip of his cocktail, winked at the bartender Lina, and said in Portuguese,
"Wait for me in the back. I have a huge surprise for you later."
Lina gave him a demure side-eye, then swayed her curvaceous hips as she walked away.
Luke's gaze followed the girl's backside, only reluctantly pulling it away after a long moment.
"I've run into a headache lately; I can't show my face."
Amanda was skeptical. "Coast City has problems that give you headaches?"
Luke shrugged. "I'm human, not a god."
"Is it a woman, though?"
Luke gave her a thumbs-up. "I like talking to smart people! So, what do you want?"
"Did that red-skinned alien come looking for you?"
"A guess?"
Amanda didn't deny it. "Dick Cheney told me the alien extracted a name from him, and that name was you."
Luke sighed. "People from the White House really can't be trusted. I explicitly told him not to mention my name. Looks like he needs some punishment..."
"I threatened him with the lives of his two daughters."
Luke paused. "Ms. Waller, you truly are a complete villain."
"The feeling is mutual."
Luke put down his glass. "You guessed correctly. The alien did come for me. We had a warm and friendly exchange, and then it left covered in bruises."
"He was injured!"
Amanda was delighted and asked urgently, "Where is he?"
Luke tossed his head back, draining the cocktail. He stood up and started walking out.
Suppressing her anxiety, Amanda said in a cold voice,
"Tell me where he is."
Luke wagged a finger. "Ms. Waller, don't expect others to solve everything for you. Cooperation requires equal strength. If you can't even handle this much, my one hundred dollar investment will have been a complete waste."
With that, he vanished.
"Bastard!"
Amanda cursed under her breath, pulling out a ten-dollar bill and slapping it on the table.
Half an hour later, a Hongmen member walked into the bar, placed a beautifully decorated gift box on the counter, and told the disgruntled bartender Lina,
"This is a surprise from our boss."
He then turned and left.
Lina curiously opened the box. Against a red velvet lining, a large, jade-crafted, vibrating mushroom stood tall.
Lina's pretty, freckled face flushed visibly. In just three seconds, everything above her chest was bright red. She bit her lip, glanced around, and, seizing the moment when no one was looking, quickly tucked the huge "surprise" under the counter.
A Favor Called In
Unable to get an answer from Luke, Amanda had to find another way. She soon located the hiding Adam Hammond, learned from him why the alien went to the base, and deduced from all the intelligence that the alien's target was likely Hector Hammond.
Since the target was Hector, everything became simple.
Two days later, Amanda, acting as the lead investigator for the kidnapping case, held a press conference. During the event, she emphasized President Joel Nash's contributions and effective measures in maintaining national security. Towards the end, she subtly and "accidentally" let slip that Hector was still alive.
Reporters, like sharks smelling blood, immediately pressed for details, but Amanda shook her head, claiming she had misspoken and that they shouldn't take it seriously.
In the Sector Two base, Luke watched the news with a speechless expression.
Amanda, the "Great Demon Head," lives up to her name. She's recycling an old head—Hector—for use. But surely Sinestro can see through such an obvious trap?
Luke thought for a moment and shook his head slightly. It didn't matter if Sinestro saw through it or not. The Green Lantern Corps was backing Sinestro. If a conflict truly erupted, the U.S. government would certainly be the one to suffer.
As a gang boss, he'd welcome the government taking a beating.
Just then, Adam approached.
"Young Master, Commissioner Hugo called and hopes to meet with you."
"Tell him I'm busy."
Luke waved him off impatiently. That fat pig either wanted money or wanted him to help, nothing else.
Adam turned to leave but returned a moment later.
"He said it's extremely important and he must meet in person. He used a pleading tone and insisted you have to go."
Luke put down the blueprint he was holding. After thinking, he said,
"Ava!"
"Young Master, I'm here."
"Where is that fat slob right now?"
"His current location is the Coast City Police Department, Office 3 on the 9th floor of Building 2."
"Who is with him?"
"Please wait..."
A few seconds later, the soft, synthesized electronic voice replied, "FBI Director Jack Harvey appeared at the police station entrance twenty minutes ago and has not left. Based on inference, he is likely in Office 3, with Commissioner Hugo."
"Fat slob! I told you to stop being greedy. You never listen."
Luke sighed. "Call him back. Tell him 8 p.m. at the Cape Restaurant, second floor."
"Understood, Young Master."
Time passed silently, and soon, night fell.
Outside the Cape Restaurant, Luke, dressed in a formal suit, stepped out of his BMW. Before he could close the car door, a sweating, middle-aged fat man grabbed his arm.
"Luke! Young Master Shaw! You finally came! You have to save me this time, you absolutely have to save me!"
Luke pulled his arm free. "Get away from me; I'm not into that."
"Where is Jack Harvey?"
Hugo looked shocked. "How did you know it was him?"
Luke gave him a cold look. The Commissioner reeled as if struck by lightning and quickly explained,
"I haven't betrayed the Hongmen, truly, not at all! He has evidence of my corruption, and I have no choice but to ask you for help! That guy is trouble. You must be careful."
"Follow behind me."
Luke scoffed and strode toward the restaurant. Commissioner Hugo followed closely behind like a nervous errand boy.
As he walked through the main entrance, Luke saw several familiar figures.
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